Octaform Systems and the University of Manitoba's Department of Civil Engineering have teamed up to test the durability of Octaform's unique concrete storage tank design.

The system uses custom PCV based concrete forms, which remain in place after the concrete sets, to create a barrier that protects it from the corrosive effects of the material being stored.

Octaform research consultant Rishi Gupta explains any vertical concrete wall can be formed using the system.

Rishi Gupta-Octaform Systems

As you might know some of the agriculture products, such as urea, is actually known to be very corrosive and what it actually does is it basically starts eating up reinforced concrete very quickly.

What we are planning to do is, we've already constructed three test tanks.

This is in Brunkild, Manitoba and these are real test tanks that have been completed and we are testing them in real field conditions over the next couple of years.

What we are looking at is how the tanks perform under severe conditions in Manitoba.

We also have a few test samples that have been included in the research.

Test samples include different types of rebars, steel rebars, fibre reinforced polymer rebars, different concrete samples and so on.

Gupta says the three tanks are being tested using liquid urea fertilizer under identical conditions but the technology can be applied to other corrosive materials such as liquid manure.

The study is expected to continue for a minimum of two years but preliminary results on how the test samples perform are expected within the next eight to ten months and results on the tanks themselves within a year and a half.